'Her Voice Changes Way Too Much Without the Cat Ears' Reactions Flood In as Chainsmoker Cat Sisters' Surreal Dream-Ending Mini Anime Goes Viral

The official social media account for the Chainsmoker Cat TV anime has posted Mini Anime #11, sparking buzz online. The post includes the text "Actually, I'm not really a cat," and the comedic twists — a confession delivered in a gorgeous voice unlike her usual one, followed by an unexpected dream-ending reveal — have drawn a strong response.

In the released image and video, the older sister Yaniko Sato (voiced by Yuko Natsuyoshi) appears on the left, with the younger sister Imoko Sato (voiced by Rina Honnizumi) on the right. In the video, Yaniko confesses in a gorgeous voice completely unlike her usual one, saying, "I've kept quiet about this until now, but actually, I'm not really a cat. These are just cat-ear headphones." She then makes a grand declaration — "Now that the truth is out, I can't stay here anymore," "I'm setting off on a journey to end discrimination against beastfolk" — before disappearing.

Just as Imoko cries out "Sisterrrrr!" to her departing sister, she suddenly wakes up. Sitting bolt upright in bed, she finds Yaniko sleeping peacefully beside her, and with a grunt of "Mmph!" Imoko gives her sister's sleeping left ear a hard tug. The scene ends with Yaniko yelping, "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

The anime Chainsmoker Cat is a comedy based on the manga of the same name. Set in a distinctive world where humans and beastfolk coexist, it depicts the idle daily lives of the Yanineko — beastfolk who love cigarettes and alcohol. The original manga has been a major hit, expanding into a wide range of media beyond the anime adaptation.

In response to the post, reactions on social media have included comments such as "Her voice changes way too much once you take off the cat ears," "Take the cat out of Yanineko and you're just left with a smoker," "Love the self-echo," and "Yaniko in a world where she's kicked her chain-smoking habit — it really is impressive that a voice actor can pull off a change this drastic…"

(C)にゃんにゃんファクトリー・講談社／ヤニねこ製作委員会